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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Ex-Cebu prosecutor dies in ambush

Ex-Cebu prosecutor dies in ambush

Published Jan 18, 2019 10:35 am
By Martin Sadongdong A former lady prosecutor was shot dead by still undetermined number of motorcycle-riding suspects in Cebu City Thursday night in what police suspect was a crime motivated by work or love issues among others. Former Cebu City Assistant Prosecutor Mary Ann Castro, 50, was driving a yellow Nissan Juke along Escario Street, Cebu around 10 p.m. when her vehicle was waylaid by the suspects a few meters from Cebu Park Lane, according to a police report from Senior Inspector Edward Sanchez, chief of Fuente Police Station. The gunman then started firing successive shots towards Castro, the report said. After being shot, Castro lost control of the vehicle until it slammed into a wall of a construction site full of galvanized iron sheets, the report added. Sanchez said Castro, who was on her way home to Talisay City, was shot five times and killed instantly. She sustained a critical wound in the neck, the report noted. The suspects immediately sped off to escape, the report said. According to Sanchez, police investigators are looking at work and love issues as the possible motives behind Castro's killing. Castro was reportedly suspended a number of times -- in December 2017, 2016 and in 2015 -- by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Supreme Court (SC) over various issues. The DOJ suspension in 2017 allegedly stemmed from the charges filed against her by the family of her former husband, the late Cebu Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez. Castro’s suspension in 2016 was for her alleged violation for the petition of her annulment which she filed in 2000. Lastly, the SC suspension in 2015 was for her alleged use of excessive influence in a case in favor of a relative. Police also claimed that Castro had a past relationship with SPO2 Adonis Dumpit, the slain security escort of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena. Dumpit died in an apparent encounter with operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) during a drug raid in Bohol in June 2018. However, Sanchez said they were continuously pursuing information to uncover the truth behind Castro's death. Police have already checked whether there are closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed in establishments in the area to help in identifying the assailants.
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